Feb

Long-time volunteer Julia Smith looks back on the end of an era

Volunteers and staff are sharing memories as the iconic Smithsonian Castle closes for a five-year renovation.

The Castle has closed; a day most of us knew was coming for a long time. The closure of the Smithsonian Castle for a multi-year renovation means lots of changes for those who work at and enjoy visiting the landmark building. In the past few months, staff and volunteers have been sharing memories, and dreaming about what the future will hold for the Smithsonian’s original building, museum, and office space.

Albert Howard and Julia Smith in front of Castle Christmas tree — *Julia Smith with her long-time Information Desk colleague Albert Howard, in front of the Castle’s 2022 holiday tree. (Photo courtesy Julia Smith)*

For longtime OVS volunteer Julia Smith, the memories of her many years at the Castle are special. Surprisingly, they don’t go back quite as far as one might expect of a native Washingtonian, whose earliest years were spent living within view of the Capitol building. While most of her childhood years were spent growing up in Charlottesville, there were annual birthday trips to DC, to visit her beloved Smithsonian. Even still, she does not remember visiting the Castle in those early years. First ladies dresses, and a big blue whale were far more interesting than a large red sandstone building could ever be. It wasn’t until the 1990’s when she began bringing her own children to the museums that she first recalls visiting the Castle.

A career geologist (and kindred soul to one James Smithson), Julia started volunteering for OVS (than called VIARC) in 2008 at the Hirshhorn information desk. A scheduling change eventually brought her to the Castle in the same role. The Hirshhorn was great, but the Castle gave Julia the opportunity to assist visitors more deeply in learning about the Smithsonian and all it has to offer.

Volunteers who serve as information specialists always have favorite visitor stories. For Julia, one favorite was the time she settled a bet between a father and son over which building was the White House and which was the Capitol (at least they didn’t confuse either with the Castle).

In 2013, Julia took on an additional challenge at the Castle, and trained as a docent. As happens often with new docent volunteers, Julia surprised herself with how comfortable she became making presentations to groups. She loves telling visitors the story of Smithson’s will and the bequest that came from a man who had never visited the nation that so benefitted from his generosity and thoughtful vision. She also loves talking about the building itself and the story of Secretary Joseph Henry and why it took so long for the Castle to be completed (started in 1847, construction wasn’t completed until 1855). Julia might have chosen to complete the building faster had she been secretary at the time, but she and Secretary Henry would agree on at least one thing. For Henry, the locally quarried sandstone was a great choice because it was less expensive than other options. For Julia, the sandstone was a great choice because it appeals to her love of geology.

So now the Castle is closed, at least for a little while. Julia will miss her desk mates and Castle visitors. She may very well volunteer at another museum by this fall. She will also continue to volunteer at a local hospital and take classes. The staff at OVS sincerely hopes Julia will choose to rejoin the Castle volunteer corps when the building reopens. Either way, her dedication and commitment to the Castle and the Smithsonian will be a standard that those who are here will do well to follow.